weight Watchers... does it work

What do you mean kick start your weight loss? Weight watchers seems to incorporate a lot of processed foods, I wouldn’t use that diet. Instead, just eat at a calorie deficit and join a gym. That is a pretty easy way right there! When my weight loss stalled, I started zig-zagging my calories which worked wonders.

It works, but what is the difference in counting calories vs counting points? I have done both, and realized in a way, they are the same. You just need the discipline to log and be accountable. Free always wins for me though.

The weight watchers point system is a great way to track food.

I suggest also getting exercise and changing lifestyle to reflect a more permanent weight loss. There are many articles all over the boards here to guide you, but time and time again I hear of people losing weight with weight watchers and gaining it back.

I'm not a professional, but I think it's because there's a "start" and "end" to the "diet" - whereas a shift in lifestyle has a start, and lasts a lifetime if you want it to. Without building muscle it may be really hard to keep the weight off.

My mother is doing weight watchers right now, and it's working; she's been a yo yo dieter most of her life. A guy i know, also a yo yo dieter, lost a lot of weight, but gained it back. Then did weight watchers again, and lost it again.

I think it's a great program but if i did it (and i've thought about doing it) i think i would also incorporate a strength training component, which may change the actual pounds lost but will end up totally changing body composition so that it's no longer a "diet" and just a great healthy lifestyle.

Just my two cents, and this is is way better than doing any work (i'm at work right now)

WW does work...but it is also really easy to manipulate so that you don't lose anything. My personal experience with WW was that I would use up all the extra "free points" by day 3 of most weeks and then would feel like a failure because I had trouble restraining my eating the rest of the week and there was no more cushion of free points left. Also the fruit is free so you can have as much as you want without counting. Sounds exciting I know but at the end of the day it is still just fruit and I always wanted something else. The difference is that WW doesn't count calories, they look at the food as a whole and if it has more fiber and protein and less fat they will assign it a lower Points value to guide you to making that choice even if it is calorically equivalent to a donut. I don't agree with what someone said about WW guiding you to more processed foods. They don't do that any more than MFP does. WW lets you pick what foods you want. They offer their line of frozen meals as an option because obviously they want to make money and many members will choose their packaged meals over Lean Cuisine but it is not a requirement and the members who lose the most weight will do so through eating healthy and exercise, which is essentially something you can get for free through MFP. It is all a matter of preference because both plans can work equally well if you really put in the work.

It didn't work for me, the meetings wouldn't fit around my schedule, and the meeting leaders were rude to me.

I tried online for a bit, lost some weight but couldn't keep up with the costs.

I found MFP shortly after and will never go back. I find much more value from MFP, not only because it's free but I learn more about macros, what I specifically need, and details about exercising. I found WW never gave me ANY input on how to incorporate exercise PROPERLY.

It's your call though, all i can offer is my opinion! (Believe me, I've tried them all, and MFP is the BEST for me!!!)

I did WW a few summers ago and lost a few pounds - it did work, at the rate they claim (1/5-2lbs per week). And I definitely liked the social aspect of it - it can be really nice to physically get up, go out and meet people with a common goal.

I just didn't like paying for it. And I like it less since they re-vamped the program and added $10. Plus, it really is the same thing as tracking calories, just in a different format.

The one thing that I really did like about WW is that fresh fruits and veggies had no point value. I think that's actually very important....I've found myself a few times on MFP, deciding between a cookie and a banana because they have the same amount of calories. But that speaks to my personal preferences, not necessarily the program. Now I just figure that if my fruits & veggies put me over my calorie limit, it's fine. I didn't get fat on carrots and grapes and I'd rather have those vitamins and fiber than not.

My advice? Learn to use the MFP app. It's amazing once you get the hang of it.

Works for ME!

I am not a fan - I tried eating clean on weight watchers years back and ran out of points mid day (and i was starving) I was allowed to eat a ton of processed crap but if I had an apple or a slice of cheese it would use a ton of points. Always be skeptical of any plan that encourages you to eat "diet" foods.

I am not a fan - I tried eating clean on weight watchers years back and ran out of points mid day (and i was starving) I was allowed to eat a ton of processed crap but if I had an apple or a slice of cheese it would use a ton of points. Always be skeptical of any plan that encourages you to eat "diet" foods.

They don't encourage you to eat diet foods. They do have their products but you don't have to get them. The actual plan encourages you to eat the filling foods ( whole, unprocessed foods) and the GHG.

Does it work? Yes - again, it all comes down to mindset and tweaking the system to work for you. The "extra" points thing was a matter of huge debate when it first came out - some people lost loads making sure they ate them all, and some people gained eating them all, much like the debate about eating exercise calories back. I suppose it comes down to the level of exercise and how much.

I lost 5 stone on the original Points system (pre Nov 2010) and for whatever reason could not get to grips with the (pretty identical) ProPoints system - it just didn't work for me. Yes, theoretically you could use 40 points on pizza/chocolate/crisps but MFP can be "manipulated" that way too - it depends whether you choose to look at your macro's or not. (Sugar, etc)

Would I use it again? Possibly - but I do prefer the forums on here, the advice here and the fact I don't have to shell out £20 a month for being weighed in. It has a good mentality to it and the meetings are brilliant depending on your leader, but if you've got the willpower and the determination, you really don't need to be paying for someone to effectively let you stand on a set of scales.

I think it works. I've lost 25 pounds in the last 15 weeks. You just have to pay attention to portions. And yes you can eat what you want in moderation. I have only dipped into my extra and activity points twice and that was while I was out of town. It's all about making the right choices.
99% of your fruits and vegetables you can eat for free. Though I do log them. If you do eat too many they will mess with your loss due to the sugars. I don't think of it as a diet it's more of a lifestyle change. I have learned a lot from the program and love the support. I also like having the accountability of someone else seeing that number on the scale and if I had a loss or a gain.
In the beginning I was averaging a loss of 2 pounds a week. I've had weeks where I've lost 6.6 and others where I have gained 2 but that was to be expected after my big loss.
Yes it is costly but for me it's worth it.

WW does work, I have done it a few times and in fact, used it to jump start me before I started here on MFP. But the one big difference between the too is the counting of points vs. calories. WW gives you free foods such as veggies and fruits. But once I started logging on MFP, I realized all the veggies and fruits that were free with WW the calories were adding up so that I was actually eating more calories, hence the reason you lose about 1 lb a week with WW. It is a great tool though to teach you healthy eating habits and is a great program. But MFP also holds you accountable, but you can actually track things like your calories, protein, fiber, sugar, fat, carbs, etc. and really see what you're eating as compared to WW.

Yes, it does. I'm going back on it soon!

i've lost weight from all 3 of my pregnancies using WW.